Hello all. My father is going to buy a used Lund Deep V 17′ boat. We found a clean 2000 pro-sport 1700 with a 115hp Johnson (I assume 2000 also). Should we hold out for a newer four stroke or modern 2 stroke? Will be fishing Lake Cumberland and various lakes in Canada, Michigan, Ohio. I had a 1984 two stroke Johnson 50 on a previous boat that ran great. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Personally I’ll never own anything but a 4 stroke again. That said the newer 2 strokes seem to be fine motors.
There is no right or wrong to your question. Whatever you want will be good.
If you plan on using the boat a lot I would go for a 4 stroke. Just the fuel savings might make up the extra a 4 stroke costs. In Canada finding fuel or packing in extra for a 2 stroke might be a factor to.
Johnson was pretty popular in the 70’s and 80’s but has really lost their following. I have not been too impressed by the couple I have worked on. If it were me I would keep looking but thats just my opinion.
I appreciate your responses. Seems pretty one sided towards the four strokes. We may want to keep looking.
I bought a 1997 boat a couple years ago and re-powered with a 4 stroke EFI and have never looked back. Previous to that I had 2 strokes – not only louder and stinky but finicky to start. The EFI (or direct injection on the 2 stroke Etec) is huge. Cold starts and they fire right off.
Had my fill at many fishing camps in Canada where the 2 strokes (and even Honda 4 strokes pre-EFI) would not start after either sitting awhile or when the temperature drops. Nothing worse than a fishing trip where you spend your time futzing with motors…
As someone with a 1995 115 hp Johnson currently in the shop with a blown piston (I think, still waiting on the diagnosis), I would strongly recommend waiting it out for a 4 stroke. Or see if you can find a place that will take the current motor in on a trade for a new motor. I will likely be repowering my boat, and am only looking at 4 strokes.
Well, I’m going to go against the tide and say I wouldn’t shy away from a 2000 Johnson at all.
2 strokes are incredibly time-tested designs that have reliability and longevity that is nothing short of astonishing if you really think about it. I ran a 1984 Johnson 25 HP for hundreds and hundreds of hours and did nothing more to it than change spark plugs and lower unit lube. A properly maintained 2 stroke can do thousands of hours with an absolute minimum amount of maintenance.
Simplicity, ease of maintenance, and reparability are key advantages that a 2 stroke can offer. Keep in mind, by the 2000s, many 2 strokes that were in the major manufacturer’s lineups has been manufactured for decades using similar designs or in some cases virtually the same designs.
While all the fancy EFI 4 strokes have benefits, because they are relatively new, what many guys HAVEN’T experienced yet is the downside. What happens when the age-related failures start to kick in. That fuel pump, fuel injectors, etc on an EFI aren’t going to last forever. People who think the all-singing-all-dancing 4 strokes are invincible are going to be getting a surprise in the coming years when all these intricate and very expensive parts start to fail. No mechanical object is maintenance free and breakdown proof forever.
I think you have to look at your real needs and budget. Yes, a carb 2 stroke is thirsty. How much this matters to you depends on where you plan to take the boat, the size of the onboard tank, etc. In my case, the extra gas money never came close to justifying dropping thousands more on a 4 stroke.
Horses for courses. No doubt a 4 stroke is nice if you budget allows for it, but 2 stokes worked for decades and will continue to get the job done. Better to be on the water puffing a little extra smoke than sitting at home wishing you had a 4 stroke.
Grouse
You could go either way and not go wrong. I have a 2006 115 4-Stroke Merc on a Explorer 1700 and love it. It’s quiet and no smoke. I have a family so this boat is a fishing boat, inland lake cruiser, and tube puller. My wife loves the quiet and not having the smoke blow back. You do have to change the oil, but once it’s done I’m good for a season of light to medium usage.
That said, my friend is a bass pro and had a 115 2 stroke and now a 150. It’s louder, but not much smoke, especially compared to our previous 72 50hp Johnson. I’m sure EFI has really helped clean up emissions. He did blow his 115 but most folks I know have great longevity and performance on both the 2 strokes and 4 strokes.
I wouldn’t say one’s better than the other unless you value the quiet of the 4 or the little power edge of the 2. Go for what makes the best sense for your needs. I have a 4 stroke snowmobile and a 2 stroke and both have their advantages in pretty much the same way, but the 4 stroke is heavier.
I can see the potential of environmental laws changing to not favor 2 strokes in the future, but who knows on that. I would think you’d be grandfathered, but you never know. Just sayin.
I am with Grouse on this one the only 4 stroke I have ever owned is my Yamaha T8 kicker. All my outboards have been two strokes. The only issue I have ever had is when I was young and dumb and ran cheap 2 cycle oil which lead to carboning up the rings and had 2 engines blow due to this. Once I switched to a 100 % synthetic oil I have never had a problem. My Opti is a 2000 with over 500 hours on it and only issue I have had was two brand new spark plugs that were bad right out of the box.
When it comes to 4 strokes sorry guys if the wind is blowing right that exhaust is worse then the smell of two stroke oil. My brothers Verado with a following wind will choke you to death.
Cheyenne Hello,
I have ran both 4 and 2 strokes through out my life. I thought my first new 4 stroke merc was awesome and would not go with anything else. However………….
Then I started doing some research and stumbled on the new evevinrude G2 Ho’s…. At first I thought yuk but kept digging.
Bottom line …..I now will not go with anything other then a new Evinrude Etech (2 stroke) either the normal or HO or G2.
These outboards are amazing and are nothing like my dads ol 2 stroke or my first one either.
They are lighter – more fuel efficient – have the best emission out there bar none – and so much more.
Before you decide – do your self a favor and really dig into these new etechs. You might be totally amazed.
Jim
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